No other DC-3 in the world has been restored with such impeccable care and attention to detail. See the 5-year process.
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NC28341 rolled off the assembly line on December 23, 1940, as the 392nd passenger DC-3 produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Ship 41 was the second of five new DC-3s delivered to Delta
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On Christmas Eve 1940, Ship 41 became Delta’s first DC-3 to transport customers. The DC-3 was the first truly comfortable modern plane that could be operated profitably, and it became the reliable “workhorse” of the air industry
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Over the years, Delta flew 23 DC-3s in passenger and cargo service. Today, Ship 41 is the only one still in existence |
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Delta gave Ship 41 a major update in the early 1950s: an airstair door was added, the galley moved forward of the passenger door, the forward bag bin became a lavatory, and seat capacity rose from 21 to 24. New livery included Delta’s “Flying D” logo. |
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Ship 41 retired from Delta service in April 1958. It was purchased by North Central Airlines (later part of Northwest Airlines), and then flew for many owners in continuous service over the next 35 years. |
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When a group of retirees began a search for one of Delta’s original DC-3s in 1991, Ship 41 was located in Puerto Rico carrying freight. Delta acquired the aircraft in June 1993, and it was flown back to Atlanta. Some 78,000 hours of flying and many years of service had taken their toll. |
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Over a hundred active and retired Delta people participated in the extensive five-year restoration effort led by this core maintenance team. The vision for Ship 41: (1) set an unprecedented standard in DC-3 restoration, and (2) create a technical work of art that could fly. |
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First, the old layers of paint were stripped off. If you stood at the right angle and in the right light, you could see the original Delta livery etched into the bare aluminum. |
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Exterior skin was removed several panels at a time to clean and restore the framework and stringers. Then, each panel was reconditioned or replaced as needed. Here, a volunteer rivets one of Ship 41’s 527 panels to the airframe. |
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A volunteer repairs a lower aft frame section before installing a skin panel. |
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Fuselage fairings were restored one panel at a time. |
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The cockpit area was completely disassembled. All wiring, control cables, hydraulic lines, aircraft controls and the control pedestal were removed. |
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The cockpit area had to be completed first to begin wiring, cable and hydraulic line replacement. |
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The original cockpit overhead structure was restored, then fit into place to align handmade windshield frames for drilling. |
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Using an English Wheel to make the pilot’s side of the overhead cockpit skin. |
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Retrofitting the existing cargo door with the original passenger doorway and restoration of the passenger door took more than a year. |
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Here, a volunteer installs a handmade lower corner at the doorway entrance. |
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Ship 41’s completely restored vertical fin being fitted for installation. |
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Restored horizontal stabilizers and elevator control bellcrank with flight control cables are installed. |
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Reworking the right-hand elevator structure at the hinge cutout. |
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Once elevator structures were reworked, painted and inspected, they were ready to cover. Here, the right-hand elevator is fitted with fabric before being hand-stitched together, glued and painted. |
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Carefully removing stenciling from Ship 41’s freshly painted rudder. |
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Once the vertical fin was closed out with dope and fabric and painted, the rudder hinge bearings were replaced and the rudder installed. |
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The trailing edges of the horizontal stabilizers were closed out with dope and fabric prior to elevator installation. |
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Installing the left-hand elevator and tab assembly. |
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This photo of the original left-hand nacelle after the engine had been removed demonstrates the many modifications made over the years. |
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Volunteers in Delta’s Technical Operations restored the nacelles after they were removed from the wings. Internal and external surfaces were refurbished, and the firewalls were hand-formed and reinstalled. |
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The rebuilt left-hand nacelle is fitted and attached to the wing center section. The same functions took place simultaneously on the right-hand side. |
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Illustrated Parts Catalog reference, factory drawings and disassembly drawings were used to properly fit hydraulic lines, electrical wiring and valves inside the nacelles. |
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A highly detailed, rebuilt Wright Cyclone 1820-G202A is installed on its restored nacelle for the first time. |
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First test run of the newly overhauled engines. |
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The left and right wings were completely disassembled one skin at a time and thoroughly refurbished inside and out. |
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Here, repair doublers are installed on the right-hand wing aft inboard flap box section. The structure is cleaned and readied for paint. |
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The right-hand leading edge structure is cleaned for inspection and painting. |
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Ship 41’s left-hand leading edge skin is drilled up from the original. The many cleos needed for this operation are seen in the background. |
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The right-hand wing upper skin is riveted to the structure. |
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The completed left-hand wing is permanently installed. Wires for landing and navigation lights were connected through the lighting holes. |
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Over the years at Delta, subtle changes in the DC-3 paint scheme were made for maintenance convenience. So, etching, rivet patterns, window spacing, drawings and old photos, such as this one, were used to determine details of Ship 41’s original livery of letters, pinstripes and decals. |
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Checking stencil location, based on archival drawings and photos, once more before paint is applied. |
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Masking and painting required many trial tests to get the stripes just right. |
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“Delta Air Lines” branding back on Ship 41 for the first time since 1958. |
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“A.M. 24” in the Delta logos on Ship 41 refers to Air Mail Route 24, which stretched from Fort Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina, via Atlanta, Georgia. |
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All pre-war DC-3s carried this decal on the rudder. A photo of the original logo was used to recreate Ship 41’s Douglas decals. |
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Ship 41’s hydraulic reservoir, landing gear handle, and flap system beginning to take shape. |
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The restored electrical service box was fitted back into its original location; then the radio rack was installed. Electrical conduits started here and ran throughout the cabin. |
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Ship 41’s nose section required extensive planning before restoration could begin. All wires were labeled and all instruments were removed. Charts were made on the location and function of every component. Unique connector ends were saved and cleaned for possible reuse. |
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The restored lower front cockpit structure awaits wiring harnesses and hydraulic plumbing. |
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Rear of co-pilot’s instrument panel showing the installation of restored gauges and wiring harnesses for radios and GPS system. The vacuum system and pressure switches are also visible. |
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Ship 41’s cockpit “as delivered” in 1993, prior to restoration. |
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The new instrument panel was test-fitted for shock mount locations. |
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The overhead switch panel is test-fitted and work on the microphone jack harness has begun. |
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Start of the initial phase for the wiring harness. The lower instrument panel was configured to match factory-original locations and integrate modern radio technology. |
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Restored instruments, including cockpit side lights, rudder pedals, and hydraulic plumbing, are installed. |
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Ship 41’s completely refurbished cockpit combines an original instrumentation layout with modern avionics to create a period look with high performance. |
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Prior to restoration, Ship 41’s interior was lined with aluminum for cargo service. |
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Once the stringers and frames were repaired and outer skin work completed, work on the cabin began in earnest. |
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After floor supports were tied in the aft galley area, installation of the lavatory partition wall began. |
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Following installation of the left-hand aft floor panel, work on the galley started. Simultaneously, doors, drawers and knobs were recreated from Douglas drawings and Delta photos. |
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The aft lavatory bulkhead is temporarily installed to check fit. Note the archival reference photo over the galley area. |
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Modern fire and soundproofing insulation methods were used inside the structure of the cockpit and cabin. |
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Ship 41’s cabin interior showing remarkable progress with the fitting of overhead air distribution ducts, ceiling panels, hat rack bin dividers, lower heater boxes, insulation, floor panels, overhead vents and lights. All were then removed, painted, detailed and reinstalled. |
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A rare set of 21 Warren McArthur 305 B series DC-3 passenger seats, located in an abandoned hangar in Jackson, Mississippi, was dismantled component by component. Each piece was thoroughly inspected, cleaned and restored to like-new condition. |
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Factory drawings and photos from the Warren McArthur corporate archives were used to study the details of Ship 41’s seats. |
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Armrests and seat side panels were upholstered in Ship 41’s original Hill Brothers Green diamond-patterned wool fabric and Ticonderoga Green leather. |
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Ceiling panels, wall panels and seat frames installed in the cabin. |
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Interior fabrics and colors were replicated using records at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History and Garber Facility and the corporate archives of Douglas, Dupont and Delta. The leather trim was custom dyed in Scotland. The wool, mohair and linen upholstery fabrics mimic the originals and meet current FAA requirements. |
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Delta’s “Flying D” logo of the era was added to each seat belt buckle, as well as the linen headrests on each seatback. |
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Ashtray face plates on the front of each armrest were wet sanded and polished multiple times to remove scratches and dents. Ashtray knobs, seat recline knobs and levers were either restored or recreated to exact specifications. |
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Original-style footrests could not be located, so they were replicated using Douglas drawings, Delta photos and a computerized drill press. |
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The galley restored back to the days when a flight attendant, called “stewardess” at the time, served box lunches and a choice of beverages: hot chocolate, tea, coffee, milk or bottles of Coca-Cola. |
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Close view of an original thermos, in its supporting bracket, and the paper cup holder on the left side of the galley. |
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Panel with stewardess call buttons and interior light switches mounted on the right side of the galley. |
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This stainless steel Palmolive hand soap dispenser is the same model and type used in Ship 41’s original lavatory. It is fixed to the wall beside an aluminum tissue box holder. |
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The original data plate located on the forward, right-hand cockpit bulkhead displays Ship 41’s factory number (3278), model (DC3-G202A) and manufacturer’s completion date (12-23-1940). |
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Shown here, Ship 41 completely restored to pristine condition in October 1999. The ramp, a metal frame supporting wood planks and two canvas side panels, was designed from Delta archival photos. |
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Preparing the restored plane for its first test hop. |
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A great test flight! Ship 41 took off and flew straight and level. |
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Cutting the ribbon to launch restored Ship 41’s official inaugural flight are former Delta Stewardess Birdie Perkins Bomar and Delta CEO Leo Mullin on November 17, 1999. Birdie Bomar, Delta’s first flight attendant, had worked Ship 41’s first inaugural flight in 1940, and was an honorary flight attendant on its last scheduled Delta flight in 1958. |
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In 2000, Ship 41 was named Judges' Choice at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture OshKosh, a premier aviation event. Ship 41 received the prestigious Antique Aircraft Gold Lindy award, which recognizes “workmanship and authenticity” in aircraft restoration. |
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Part of Delta’s core restoration team, dressed in reproduction 1940s mechanic’s uniforms, celebrating Ship 41’s Outstanding Achievement Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 2000. Shown here with James Ray (at left), who led Ship 41’s restoration operations, and Steve Forsyth, Delta Museum director. |
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Ship 41 was the first aircraft to earn a Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2001. The award recognized “the volunteer-driven effort to preserve Ship 41, an important part of America’s aviation history.” |
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You can visit award-winning Ship 41, and other restored vintage planes, in Delta’s historic Hangar 1 at the Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum in Atlanta. A tour of the interior of Ship 41 is offered once a month. More details
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